Raipur: Twenty-three Maoists with a cumulative reward of ₹1.18 crore surrendered before security forces in Chhattisgarh’s Sukma district on Saturday, police said. This comes a day after 22 Maoists with a ₹37.5 lakh bounty, who were active in the Abhujmad forest region, surrendered in Narayanpur district.
Around 11 senior Maoist cadres surrendered, including 35-year-old divisional committee member Lokesh, alias Podiam Bhima, and a few others from the People’s Liberation Guerrilla Army (PLGA) Battalion No. 1, considered the strongest armed formation of the CPI (Maoist).
“This surrender wave clearly shows that the ideological grip of the Maoist movement is weakening. Their senior cadres are disillusioned with the hollow promises of the outfit, frustrated by violence against innocent tribals, and deeply affected by growing internal factionalism,” inspector general of police of Bastar Range Sundarraj P said.
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Other prominent Maoists include Ramesh alias Kalmu Kesa, Kawasi Masa, Madkam Hunga, and Punem Deve, each carrying a reward of ₹8 lakh. “Four cadres carrying a bounty of ₹5 lakh each, one with a bounty of ₹3 lakh, and seven others with a ₹1 lakh bounty each were also among the 23 Maoists who surrendered their arms,” the officer added.
The surrendered Maoists cited atrocities on civilians, lack of direction in the movement, and pressure from continuous security force operations along the Sukma-Bijapur district border as key reasons for laying down arms, Sukma’s superintendent of police (SP) Kiran Chavan said.
{{/usCountry}}The surrendered Maoists cited atrocities on civilians, lack of direction in the movement, and pressure from continuous security force operations along the Sukma-Bijapur district border as key reasons for laying down arms, Sukma’s superintendent of police (SP) Kiran Chavan said.
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Some of the 32 Maoists who surrendered on Saturday were active in the Aamdai, Jagargunda, and Kerlapal areas, the officer said.
Each Maoist who surrendered received ₹50,000 as immediate assistance and will be rehabilitated under the state government’s surrender and rehabilitation policy.